Oops!
by Gentle-Raindrops-and-Moondust
Summary: Riley and Gabriel are on the run with Mei Chen. They're supposed to be be focusing on how to keep hidden, but Gabriel and Riley seem to have different ideas. (Starts at the end of "The Event Horizon, so spoiler alert!)
1. Chapter 1

-RILEY'S POV-

"Gabriel, we can't stay here." Riley was kneeling next to a black SUV, struggling to keep Gabriel upright.

"Where can we go?" Mei- Chen asked, the fear evident in her voice.

"I know a place." Gabriel said through the pain.

10 minutes and a stolen car later, Riley and Mei-Chen were helping Gabriel to the door of his mother's house. When Mrs. Vaughn opened the door, she looked nearly ready to faint.

"Gabriel? What have you gotten yourself into?" She asked as Riley shouldered past her.

"Put him on the island." Mrs. Vaughn said in a tone that sounded very much like her son when he took charge of a mission.

Moments later, Riley and Mei-Chen struggled to put Gabriel on the countertop. Once they finally got him laid out, Riley tore off his shirt. Her eyes couldn't help but linger over his chest and stomach. He was extremely muscular, and it was hard to tear her eyes away.

"I need alcohol, a needle, thread, towels, and bandages." Mei-Chen and Mrs. Vaughn left to find what she needed. Gabriel was starting to close his eyes.

"Gabriel, stay with me." Riley demanded, getting close to his face.

"Don't worry." Gabriel half-smiled. "I'm not going anywhere."

Riley couldn't help but smile. "You know, I think I'm supposed to be the one comforting you."

Gabriel's eyes were closing again. She had to keep him awake.

"Gabriel."

"Mm?" He groaned. "Let me sleep."

"Gabriel, look at me."

"Mm...i need to tell you something..."he mumbled, his eyes still half closed.

"Tell me when you don't have a hole in your stomach." Riley forced a smile.

Just then, Mei Chen and returned with the supplies. Once Riley cleaned the blood, she began to dig out the bullet. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Mrs. Vaughn flinch every time Gabriel moaned. Once she got the bullet out, she began sewing up the hole.

"Okay. Lets get him into bed." Riley helped Mei Chen get him off the island and into what looked like his old room.

When Riley returned, she began cleaning the blood soaked kitchen. Mrs. Vaughn and Mei Chen both returned and started to scrub along side her.

-GABRIEL'S POV-

When he woke up, the wound in his side was a dull ache. Blinking, Gabriel opened his eyes and started to sit up.

"Whoa, easy there tiger. Don't sit up." A familiar voice said, and he was gently pushed into a laying down position.

"Mm. Riley." Gabriel said in a husky voice, his eyes half-closed again.

Gabriel closed his eyes fully and imagined waking up and hearing the same thing, only under _very _different circumstances. He opened his eyes when he felt the edge of the bed move down. Riley had come to sit on the edge of the bed.

"How do you feel?" Riley asked.

Gabriel almost didn't hear her, he was so caught up in a daydream that was almost as vivid as one of his cyber renders.

"Fine. Almost no pain." Gabriel smiled. "You make a good doctor."

"Yeah. Right." Riley rolled her eyes.

"So, has Lillian contacted us yet?" Gabriel asked.

"No, but Tetazoo has men everywhere. We need to move soon."

Gabriel tried to focus on what he was saying, but a million thoughts were running through his head. If they wanted to, they could run off to Fiji or Tahiti and never be bothered again. The chip would erase any record of them in any database. They could run off, be safe, and start a family.

"So, what did you need to tell me?" Riley said after a moment of silence. Instead of speaking, Gabriel grabbed her upper arms and pulled her into the bed next to him.

"Gabriel, what the he-" Before she could finish, Gabriel started tickling her stomach and sides.

"Gabriel! What are you doing?! Stop!" Riley squealed.

"Make me." Gabriel growled playfully.

He was now fully on top of her, his hands right above her shoulders. He looked like he was about to do a push up. Just as he was a breath away from her lips, the door opened.

"Oh my Lord!" Mrs. Vaughn gasped, nearly dropping the water she was holding. Gabriel immediately rolled off of Riley, and she sat up. "Gabriel Vaughn! You are supposed to be resting!" His mother scolded.

Riley was blushing like crazy, but she looked like she was hiding a smile. She was laughing at him, he realized. Suddenly Mei Chen appeared at the door.

"What's going on?!"

"Nothing." Riley and Gabriel said at the same time.

Riley stood and smoothed her shirt. "We need to figure out our next move."


	2. Chapter 2

Riley's stomach was filled with butterflies. She couldn't believe that Gabriel had done that. Every part of her was tingling. All she wanted was for Gabriel to kiss her. If only his mother hadn't interrupted... Riley shook her head. No, she couldn't afford to fantasize right now. She had a job to do. Everyone gathered into Gabriel's room. Riley didn't trust herself enough to sit anywhere near Gabriel, so she chose a chair in the corner of the room.

"What's your next move?" Mei Chen asked.

"We need a safe house. Somewhere in the woods or abandoned, preferably outside of Angel's Bluff. Wait, 'your'? Are you not coming?"

"No way. You people are crazy." Mei Chen stood and walked to the door. "See you in the cyber renders." She told Gabriel, and then she was gone.

Gabriel swore, then received a slap from his mother. "She's gone off the grid. In fact, she's erased herself completely from every database."

"We'll worry about her later. Maybe Lillian has a safe house for us."

"Tetazoo has access to all of her safe houses. If we contact her, then he'll know exactly where we're going."

Mrs. Vaughn suddenly shook her head. Riley had forgotten she was even there.

"Gabriel, what is going on? How do you know these things?" Mrs. Vaughn asked in disbelief.

Riley tuned him out while he explained everything. She was more focused on where to hide until they could figure out how to save themselves.

"Mrs. Vaughn, do you have any maps that we could use?" Mrs. Vaughn glanced from her to Gabriel, then left to get the maps. When she returned, Riley moved cautiously to the bed so they could lay them out.

"Lillian has several safe houses in the Appalachian mountains." Riley pointed to the spots the houses were located."Each are only a few minutes from a small town but far enough out of the way that any federal movement can be avoided."

"But Tetazoo knows-" Gabriel was cut off.

"But if we don't contact Lillian, he won't know where we are at all." Riley explained.

20 minutes later, Riley and Gabriel were on their way to the Appalachian mountains, posed as a happy couple on their first vacation together. The drive was about 3 hours, farther than Riley would've liked but it was safer than anything they could find close to Angel's Bluff.

Riley hadn't slept in almost two days. She was exhausted, and the now dark sky was lulling her to sleep.

"Riley, why don't you let me drive?" Gabriel suggested, breaking the silence.

"Not a chance." She said through a yawn.

"Then pull over and get some sleep."

"There is no way I'm sleeping in this car." Riley sounded petty, but she didn't care.

"There's a sleeping bag in the trunk." Gabriel reminded her.

"If anyone needs sleep, it's you." Riley kept her eyes fixed on the road and tightened her grip on the wheel.

Gabriel sighed, and suddenly the car came to a stop in the middle of the highway.

"Gabriel! Turn the car back on!" Riley yelled. Cars were honking their horns and zooming into opposite lanes to avoid them.

"Not unless you promise to pull over and get some sleep." Riley growled.

"Fine. Now turn the car back on!" Half a second later, the car was back on and Riley pulled over.

"Happy now?" She snapped. Gabriel gave her a smug grin and they got out of the car and climbed into the trunk. Riley rolled out the sleeping bag and got in.

"I'll keep watch." Gabriel said, and that's the last thing she heard before she fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Some time during the night, Gabriel fell asleep and ended up laying next to Riley. It wasn't long before the sun rose and Riley woke up to the smell of Gabriel's aftershave. They were pressed together and stretched out. Gabriel's arm was wrapped around her waist and holding her against him. She rolled over and nearly rammed her chin into his chest. Once she fully made sense of what was happening, butterflies exploded in her stomach. She took a deep breath, taking in the moment.

"Mmm...Gabriel, we need to get up." She said quietly. Gabriel hugged her tighter. Riley wanted more than anything to stay here, in the moment, but she knew she couldn't.

"Gabriel." She said louder, forcing herself to sit up. Gabriel opened his eyes and moved his arm, releasing her.

"We need to keep moving." Gabriel sat up, rubbed his face, then climbed out of the trunk. He held out his hand to help her down. Riley shot him an "if you touch me I'll kill you" look, which made him drop his hand. What she needed now was coffee and a rest area.

5 miles later, Riley was ready to murder Gabriel. He was definitely a morning person, and since Riley didn't have her morning run and she slept on the floor of a car, she was unhappy to say the least. Gabriel decided singing as loud and as off key as he could would be the best way to cheer her up. A rest stop was only a mile ahead, and Riley considered leaving him there. She had yelled at him numerous times, but she only received a laugh and a grin. She hated him for it, but it was also the same reason she loved him.

Wait, love? Riley nearly slammed down on the accelerator. A strange look must have come over her, because Gabriel stopped singing and started scouting for danger.

"Riley, what's wrong?" Gabriel asked.

"Nothing. I'm fine. Look, there's the rest stop." Riley turned into the parking lot and parked.

Gabriel went to get the toothbrushes from his mother's house while Riley got breakfast. When she got into the bathroom, she splashed cold water onto her face and tried to process everything that happened. First of all, Mei Chen said that the government hired her to kill Gabriel. She could handle that. Second of all, she and Gabriel slept together and nearly kissed. That she couldn't handle. Emotions were never her strong suit.

When Riley went out to the sitting area, Gabriel was eating a danish and had two cups of coffee sitting next to him.

"I didn't know what kind of danish you wanted, but I did get coffee." Riley took a sip of the coffee.

"This is disgusting." She wrinkled her nose. Gabriel smiled.

"I know." "We need to ditch the car." Riley said once they finished their breakfast.

"Or we could switch the plates." Gabriel suggested.

"Find someone with Virginia plates." Riley told him as he removed their license plate. Fortunately, the car next to them had Virginia plates. Gabriel quickly changed the plates out and they were on their way.

"How much longer?" Gabriel asked.

"About 30 minutes." Riley sighed. At least he had stopped singing.

Once they made it to the house, they had to pick the lock to get inside. The house was empty, with one bedroom and bathroom. The kitchen connected to the living room, which had a modest couch and small TV.

"I guess we're going grocery shopping." Riley said when she checked the kitchen. It was completely empty.

"I call the bed!" Gabriel dropped the bag he was carrying and raced to the bedroom.

"Oh no you don't!" Riley yelled and ran after him.

Gabriel leaped onto the double size bed, but Riley was right behind him. She jumped on too, but tired to shove him off in the process. But Gabriel was much to strong, and definitely had the advantage. Riley was caught off guard when he shoved her back, and she fell back into the pillows. Her heart was pounding, and she wondered how far he was willing to take their little play fight. Gabriel was propped up on his elbow next to her. Her blood felt charged with electricity. Riley desperately wanted to continue what was interrupted at his mother's house. Gabriel stayed where he was for a few moments, as if he were debating on what to do next. Riley put her hand on his cheek. It was rough and scratchy, the result of not shaving for a few days. Gabriel took the hint. He swooped down and their lips collided. His lips were soft but strong, and Riley never wanted to stop kissing him. The kiss broke too soon, and Riley immediately wanted more.

"Wow..." She breathed.

"Yeah, wow.." Gabriel sighed.

Riley could practically see the gears turning in his head. "So, grocery shopping?"

**Wow! So two chapters in one day and an authors note! I'm glad everyone is enjoying the story so far, i have a lot more fluff and excitement in mind!**


	4. Chapter 4

**-GABRIEL'S POV- **

Wow. He actually went through with it. Ever since he had met Riley he had wanted to kiss her. From that perspective, being framed for murder was the best thing to ever happen to him. Her lips were warm and soft, and he immediately wanted more.

"So, grocery shopping." She said more firmly, like she was actually going to get out of the bed this time. The last thing he wanted to do was leave the bed.

"Yeah." He said reluctantly.

They both lay there for a moment, calming themselves down. Riley moved first, slowly climbing out of the rumpled sheets. He watched her straighten her shirt and walk into the living room. Gabriel sighed and got up to follow her. They both made their way out to the car, and they were headed to the store. The ride was silent, and it was driving Gabriel insane.

"Riley, sooner or later we'll need to talk about this." He said a bit too loud.

"Talk about what, Gabriel? As far as I'm concerned, that never happened." Riley sounded angry.

Gabriel was hurt. The way she reacted, the way she touched his cheek, she had to feel _something._ The car fell silent, and that's how it stayed until they reached the store.

"Riley, we can't pretend to be a couple if you won't talk to me." Gabriel said once they parked.

Riley sighed. "Gabriel, look. The kiss...was honestly the best thing that's ever happened to me." Gabriel nearly exploded. So she _did_ feel something.

Riley continued. "But it was also a mistake. Gabriel, if we get too attached we could compromise everything."

Gabriel's heart fell. So they needed to be a couple, but not feel anything. He was angry too. Angry at himself for kissing her, angry at Riley for being right, and angry at the world for making this happen.

Riley jolted him out of his thoughts. "Keep your head down and don't try to take out the cameras with the chip. Tetazoo could be watching."

Gabriel got out of the car and kept his eyes fixed on the ground. Riley walked next to him, trying to act like everything was okay. The tension between them was palpable. They walked into the store, and Gabriel could feel the stares. Gabriel slipped his hand around her waist, and he felt her tense. She relaxed into him a moment later.

"All we need are the basics, okay? I don't know how much money we have." She said quietly.

Technically Gabriel could get them all the money they could ever want or need, and his mind wandered back to how much he wanted to just run away with her, even if he was mad at her. He pushed the cart for her, following her through the various isles while daydreaming about running away. By the time they finished, about a fourth of the cart was filled. They went to check out, and the total was about 101.64.

"Riley, I've only got about $30." He said quietly.

"I don't have any money." She replied, a worried look crossed her features.

"Credit card it is then." Riley looked even more worried, which made Gabriel chuckle.

"The _other _credit card." Lillian had issued emergency credit cards under alias' that weren't in any database, only she knew about them.

Riley breathed a sigh of relief. He shook his head slightly. She was crazy, and that's why he loved her. He paused, the card hovering next to the keypad. It wasn't the first time he admitted to himself that he loved her, but now he may actually have a chance to tell her. He realized Riley was staring at him, and he quickly swiped the card. As they carried the bags out to the car, his overactive mind was fed up with how she was acting towards him. It was bugging him, and he wasn't the kind of person to let this go.

"Riley, stop looking at me like I'm destroying your life."

"You might, if Lillian ever finds out about it."

"Oh, so now the kiss is an 'it'?" He asked angrily.

"Yes, Gabriel. It is an it. Because as far as I'm concerned, that never happened and you are just my protectee." She tightened her grip on the wheel.

"Oh, so now we aren't even partners? Wow, that hurts." He said with mock pain. Their voices were starting to raise.

"Gabriel, why are you being impossible?" Riley yelled.

"Says the one who refuses to accept that the best moment of my entire life even existed!" He yelled back.

That shut her up. The car was deadly silent, and Gabriel was fuming. The best thing to ever happen to him and the other participant denies it on her life. Being on the run with her just got a whole lot harder. They got home without talking, and Gabriel put up the groceries while Riley got ready for bed.

'So that's how this is going to be.' Gabriel thought. 'The silent treatment.'

**-RILEY'S POV- **

If Riley was honest with herself, she would still be talking to Gabriel. Kissing him was still the best thing to happen to her, just like him. But Riley was lying to herself. Smart Riley wasn't speaking to him ever again, but the Real Riley was screaming for him to kiss her senseless. Riley tried to ignore her. Riley avoided Gabriel for as long as she could. Right before she went to bed, he called her into the living room.

"You should see this." He said in a short, clipped tone. The small tv had a news station on, and on the screen were their pictures.

A female voice came on over the pictures. "If you have seen either Riley Neal or Gabriel Vaughn, please call the number on your screen."


	5. Chapter 5

-Gabriel's POV-

He didn't want to talk to Riley, but he knew that it was important that she knew about the manhunt.

"What do we do?" He asked.

"I don't think we need to move yet-" she was cut off by yelling.

"Gabriel Vaughn! Riley Neal! Come out slowly with your hands up!" The icy voice of Tetazoo filled the cabin.

"Just as I was starting to get used to this place." Gabriel sighed and got off the couch.

"Gabriel, what are you doing? We aren't going out there." Riley grabbed his arm.

"I know. I'm going to see if Lillian left any weapons here." He began searching the bedroom while Riley searched the kitchen and living room.

"We have you surrounded!" Tetazoo yelled.

"Gabriel, we don't have much time!" Riley yelled. Gabriel reappeared in the living room.

"Find anything?"

"No, you?" She asked worriedly.

"Do we have any household cleaner?" Just as he asked, a spray of bullets peppered the front of the house. Gabriel leaped behind the couch, and Riley ducked with him.

"You okay?" He asked as the bullets died down.

"Yeah, you?" She responded breathlessly.

"Fine, but now what are we going to do?" He asked.

"Can you see how many there are?" Gabriel used the chip to access the GPS satallite and zoomed in on their location.

"About twenty. If we try to run, it will either have to be very fast or cause a lot of casualties."

"Can we even win against these guys?" She asked, and another spray of bullets wracked the house.

"Come out now or we're coming in!" Tetazoo yelled.

"I guess our only choice is to surrender." Riley said.

"Riley..." He touched her arm gently.

"Gabriel, we don't have any other choice." She said, a hard edge to her voice.

"We could fight our way out once we surrender." He suggested.

"Yeah, and we could kill Tetazoo and run away with a million dollars in cash." Riley said sarcastically. "Never going to happen."

Gabriel knew it was impossible. All he wanted was more time to make things right with Riley. Now was his last chance.

"Riley, I'm sorry you were dragged into this."

"Gabriel, it isn't your fault. I chose to come. I'm sorry I was so mad at you."

"That was my fault. I'm sorry."

Tetazoo interrupted them again. "We're coming in!"

Gabriel knew it was his last chance to kiss her. He cupped her cheek and brought their lips together in a searing kiss. The doors broke, and armed men began to fill the room. The two agents stood, their hands above their heads.

"Gabriel Vaughn, you are under arrest for the murders of three government officals and evading arrest." Tetazoo slapped cuffs on his wrists.

"Riley Neal, you are under arrest for aiding a fugitive and resisting arrest."

As the two were pulled outside and into separate black cars, the last thing Gabriel saw was a guard use the butt of his gun to hit Riley on the back of her head, knocking her out.


	6. Chapter 6

**-GABRIEL'S POV- **

Gabriel woke up in a soft bed, and without thinking, he reached out for Riley's warmth. Realizing no one was there, he woke up fully.

"Riley?" He called out.

The room he was in was fairly bare, with only the bed and vanity in it. The floor had crimson carpeting and an ugly yellow and red wallpaper. It somewhat resembled a hotel room. Gabriel got out of bed and began to inspect the room. He tried to pinpoint his location with the chip, only to have a piercing noise reverberate through his skull and cause a massive headache.

The only door in the room opened, and a short man in a suit followed by two guards with large guns came into the room. They shut the door behind them.

"Agent Vaughn. Or should I call you Clockwork?" The man's voice was full of ego and pride.

"Who are you?" Gabriel growled and stepped close to him. The guards stepped forward, ready to defend the man, but he held up his hand and they reluctantly stepped back.

"To you, I'm Mr. Smith." The man said with a passive voice.

"Where am I? And what did you do to Riley?" The last question came out as a threat.

"Agent Neal's condition depends on your actions." Mr. Smith explained.

Gabriel knew these were definitely not government agents. None of this made sense, or was legal. Not that has stopped them before.

"Let me see her." He demanded.

"Ah, I'm afraid that's not possible." Mr. Smith said nervously, very aware that Gabriel was getting upset.

"Take me to see her or you'll never get anything out of me."

"Oh dear Gabriel, this isn't just about information. And we don't necessarily need you to talk, we just need you."

For being a top secret government project, a lot of people knew about him.

"What exactly _do_ you want?" he asked, trying to stay calm.

Mr. Smith noticed the attempt. "We have very big plans for you, Gabriel."

"Where's Tetazoo?"

"We have no further need for Mr. Tetazoo. We disposed of him." Mr. Smith said in an uncaring voice.

Gabriel was shocked. Jeffery Tetazoo was never on the straight and narrow, but he didn't seem like the type to work willingly for these people.

"You look confused, Gabriel." Mr. Smith pointed out.

Gabriel had a sharp retort on the tip of his tongue, but he decided to keep it to himself. He needed to make sure Riley was okay, and offending the boss was not the way to do it.

"When do we start?"

**-RILEY'S POV-**

Riley woke up strapped to a chair and a killer headache pounding through her skull. She blinked at the bright light and surveyed the room. The room had metal walls and a metal roof and floor, probably to keep Gabriel out. There was a square window on the only exit at eye level.

The door opened, and a tall man with a military haircut and wearing military style camis, only they were solid black came in. He set up a small camera in the top left corner of the room, and a small red light blinked on.

The man left, and several minutes later a very large man with the same uniform came in the room. Riley had a feeling she knew what was coming next.

For a minute or two the room was silent, and Riley's stomach was in knots.

Suddenly the man put his finger to his ear. "Yes sir." He said in a deep voice.

The man walked up to Riley and grabbed a handful of hair where the butt of the gun had hit her. Her head snapped back, making her cry out. Pain exploded across her jaw as the man's fist connected.

Ten minutes later, Riley's lip was split and she was spitting blood. Tears streamed down her face, because not only was this physical torture, it was emotional. The man had obviously read her file before he came in. Even the sealed one. Riley had taken punches mostly to her face and head, but she also felt bruises forming on her stomach and arms. Her wrists we bleeding from where the leather straps rubbed.

It was going to be a long night.


	7. Chapter 7

**-GABRIEL'S POV-**

Every time he watched a fist connect with Riley, he felt her pain. He winced when she screamed, and with every comment about her past he grew angrier. He wanted it to stop, so he told them all he could.

By the time they were finished, he silently vowed to kill Mr. Smith and Riley's torturer at the least. First he had to escape. The chip was useless, most rooms had zero signal like the room he was held in. The other rooms were bolted shut with guards in front of them.

Gabriel knew he would have to be very quick in his escape. If they knew what he was doing and got to her first, they would kill her. He would also have to locate her.

Once he knew her location, which he would undoubtedly have to find without the chip, he would start by getting rid of all the systems in the room where he was forced to watch Riley being tortured. There were only a polygraph and some highly advanced computers, but those computers had tons of top secret information. There were two guards in the room, both armed with automatic rifles. Mr. Smith would do nicely as a shield.

Gabriel planned for several days, all the while he watched Riley being punished over and over. He listened carefully for any mention of where prisoners were being held. He finally caught a break when a bruised and bleeding man found his room one night. Gabriel was aloud to wander the floor, but no farther. He opened the door to frantic knocking, very cautious because Mr. Smith and his guards didn't knock. The man had a black eye and bloody nose at the least.

"Help me, please." He begged. Gabriel immediately let the man in.

"Who are you?"

"We don't have much time." The man said quickly.

"If they find me here, they'll kill your partner."

That got Gabriel's attention. "You know Riley?"

"Every night, when they're done with us, they move us all into a long hallway. Everyone is thrown into rooms, but they have bars we can talk through, but they're too high up to see."

"Where are you being held? How did you get out?"

"How? I fought. As far as I can tell, we're being held on the basement level." Gabriel thought for a moment.

The room was silent, and the man spoke. "She talks about you a lot." He said softly.

Gabriel's heart fell to the floor. His Riley was being held and tortured, yet she still believed he would come for her.

"She always said you'd come for us. Come for her. It gave a lot of us hope."

"How many of you are there?" Gabriel struggled to speak over the lump in his throat.

"A hallway full, like I said. No one knows why they're torturing us."

"To get information from someone you love." Gabriel said gravely.

The man paused, his face filled with worry. "I need to get out of here."

"Be careful. And thank you." Gabriel said sincerely.

The man nodded, looking grim. He turned and walked into the hallway. Now Gabriel knew where Riley was, and soon she would be back where she belonged: next to him.

**-RILEY'S POV-**

"Is anyone there?" A man's voice rang through the hallway.

Riley could barely manage to breathe, but she managed a weak "yes."

"My name is Michael Bender. Please, what's going on?" He sounded terrified.

Riley's face was badly cut, and she was running out of shirt to tie off various wounds and keep the blood out her eyes. She wished she could tell Michael better news than she had.

"Soon," she swallowed hard and fought to keep her voice loud enough to be heard. "They will drag you to a metal room and set up a camera." Riley's voice was ragged, and her throat felt like Hell.

"A camera? Why? Are you okay?" Michael's voice was jumping octaves.

Riley closed her eyes for a moment. She was exhausted, and this guy wouldn't shut up.

"Yeah." She huffed. "Michael, they're going to torture you."

There was a pause, and Michael began to yell and beat on the door. The others around them began to wake up. Soon the whole hall was filled with shouts and screams. Riley tried to sleep, but alarms began to scream along with the prisoners, making her head pound even more than it was. There was a pounding on the door, like someone was trying to get in. Riley curled into a ball, too weak to fight. The door broke, and the bruised and bleeding face of Gabriel Vaughn wanted to cry.

"Riley?" He ran over to her curled form.

"Gabriel." She said weakly.

She felt his arms slider under her knees and around her back, and stood up fully, and she nestled herself into his chest.

"Riley. Riley, stay awake. Riley, please." He sounded like he was begging.

"Gabriel Vaughn, are you begging?" She tried to sound strong, but her voice barely worked. She heard shouts, and Gabriel swore.

"Riley, I'm going to set you down now." He said softly.

"No." She tried to hold onto his shirt, but her grip was too weak.

She felt Gabriel smile, because he was one of those people who smile with their whole body. She imagined his dimples since one of the wounds on her head started bleeding into her eyes again.

"Riley, I'll be right back." He laid her against the wall, and he was gone.

She heard grunts and cries of pain, some that were unmistakably Gabriel's. Riley wished she could help, but she couldn't muster the strength to stand.

Riley felt Gabriel lift her again, and he was breathing heavily. She cracked open her eyes as much as possible and looked at him.

"You're bleeding." She pointed out.

Gabriel huffed out a laugh. "So're you." He paused and looked ahead, hearing more shouts. "We're almost home free."

Riley let her eyes close. Her body hurt so much, it felt like someone had taken a sledgehammer to every part of it.

"Come on Riley, stay awake." He gripped her tighter.

Suddenly the atmosphere changed drastically, and she felt something warm on her face. She opened her eyes again, and she found it was the sun. She sighed, enjoying the feeling of it on her skin. She heard a door open, and felt Gabriel lower her onto a car seat, but it felt more like Heaven compared to what she had been through. She heard the door close beside her, and another open and close as Gabriel got into the driver's side. The car turned on, and they were safe.

**Okay so this chapter was longer than i usually write, but I'm proud of it. Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**So _this chapter is more strongly T rated, so consider yourself warned._  
**

**-GABRIEL'S POV- **

His nose and eyebrow were bleeding, and his ribs felt bruised. Riley was in much worse shape. She needed a surgeon, and he only knew combat first-aid, which meant wrap it up and go. Left without options, he decided to text Nelson with the chip.

"_Nelson, do you know any doctors that could go to your house discreetly?"_ Gabriel knew the message would show up as blocked, and he wasn't surprised at the response.

_"Who is this? How did you get this number?"_

Gabriel quickly thought of a codeword. _"The clock needs work._"

" _OMG ! WHERE ARE YOU?! ARE YOU OKAY?"_ Gabriel shook his head at Nelson's sudden change.

"_Nelson, get the doctor, okay? ETA: 1 hour."_

Wherever Mr. Smith had taken them, it was a lot closer to Angel's Bluff than their cabin. Riley groaned in the backseat, and Gabriel tightened his grip on the wheel. She was in pain, and he couldn't help her.

"Hold on, Riley. We're almost there." Gabriel stepped on the gas and the car sped up. He would take care of the speeding tickets later.

They arrived at the Cassidy residence in 45 minutes. Nelson ran out the door just as Gabriel was lifting Riley out of the car. He was exhausted, and Nelson jumping around like an excited puppy didn't help. Gabriel carefully carried her into the workshop and laid her down on a cleared table. The doctor that Nelson and Dr. Cassidy had called was a tall, thin, graying man named Dr. Jonah Wilkerson.

"You worked with Doc here to get Clockwork ready." Gabriel nodded at Wilkerson.

"You are correct. Now, leave me to my work." He said and turned to the table.

Gabriel started to protest but Dr. Cassidy interrupted. "Gabriel, you're injured too. You need to let me look at your injuries."

Gabriel glanced at Riley one last time and followed them into the kitchen. He wanted to stay with Riley, but he knew the doctor knew what he was doing. Dr. Cassidy told Gabriel to sit on a stool in the kitchen and left to get surprised. Nelson kept Gabriel company.

"What the hell happened?" Nelson almost yelled.

"Well, we were getting ready for bed, and-" he was interrupted by Nelson.

"Bed? Together?" Gabriel sighed and immediately regretted it because his ribs screamed in protest.

"No, Nelson, focus please."

"Sorry." "I saw the news report on us, and when I called Riley in to see, Tetazoo started yelling at us to come out with our hands up."

"Tetazoo was there? He's been missing for days!"

"He's dead." Gabriel said darkly.

Thankfully Nelson didn't ask about how he knew. "So Tetazoo was behind all this? He tortured Riley?"

Dr. Cassidy came back with everything he needed and began to work on the open wounds.

"No, I don't think he was behind it. Someone named Mr. Smith is."

"Definitely an alias, so we pretty much have nothing."

Gabriel was getting sleepier as he was worked on, and the room fell silent. Nelson left to pester Dr. Wilkerson, and the house was peaceful. He moved to the couch after Dr. Cassidy finished, and quickly fell asleep. His dreams were pleasant for a while, but they took a darker turn. He was thrown into Riley's torture room, and he was the one throwing punches and digging up her painful past. He woke up with a jump, confused as to where he was for a moment. He looked around, and the only sound was Nelson and Cassidy tapping quietly on their keyboards.

Gabriel slowly sat up. "Doc, you got any scotch?" He asked as he reached a sitting position.

"Ah, Gabriel, you're awake. With the painkillers in your system, alcohol would not be a wise choice."

"Fine." Gabriel grunted unhappily.

"You can see Riley now."

Gabriel got off the couch quicker than he should have. Ignoring Doc's protests, Gabriel hurried down the hall and into the workshop. Dr. Wilkerson was finishing up notes, and Riley was laid out on the table. He pulled up a stool and gently took her hand.

Her face was badly bruised, leaving two black eyes and her lip split. According to Wilkerson's computerized notes, she had 3 broken ribs, a sprained wrist, massive blood loss, and a mild concussion. Her knuckles were scraped and her wrists were wrapped from where the leather rubbed into her skin. Gabriel didn't want to think about the emotional damage.

Dr. Wilkerson said she was on a lot of painkillers, and she would sleep for a few days. Gabriel stayed with her.

Dr. Cassidy and Nelson took turns bringing him food everyday, since Gabriel refused to leave her side, and he left only once to try and sneak home for clothes. He was constantly irritable, and barely ate the food he was brought. Sometimes Nelson wondered what would happen if she didn't wake up.

**-RILEY'S POV-**

When Riley woke up, her throat burned, but the rest of her body was pain free, a Heaven after a fiery Hell. Her ribs ached when she moved, but she could handle it. She tried to move her arm, but she realized someone was holding her arm down.

"Gabriel?" She whispered hoarsely.

He woke up immediately. "Riley?" She put a hand to her throat and he rushed out of the room. She heard a faucet turn on and off somewhere, and she tried to sit up. Gabriel came back into the room holding a glass of water.

"Whoa, Riley, that isn't a good idea." She ignored him, and thankfully he decided to help her.

Once she was up, he handed her the glass of water. She drank it in gulps, which earned her hiccups, which made her ribs hurt. Gabriel smiled, obviously enjoying watching her bounce up and down when she hiccuped.

"How long have I been out?" She asked once she got rid of the hiccups.

"3 days." He responded, a sad look overtaking his face. Riley was shocked. 3 days? She hadn't even slept that long when she was stabbed protecting the First Children.

Riley looked down at her hands, notice the wrapping on her wrists and torn clothes. She looked up and saw Gabriel glance at her torn shirt.

"I'll be right back. Don't move anymore, okay?" Riley wondered where he could possibly be going. He returned moments later, holding a gray shirt.

"This is the best I could manage, and I figured you would rather wear my clothes than Nelson's." Gabriel said rather sheepishly.

"When did you go home?" Riley asked, gingerly taking the shirt.

"Last night. They had guards and cameras everywhere, so all i could grab where a couple of shirts." Riley started to get up, but Gabriel stopped her.

"Riley, that's a really bad idea. You shouldn't get up too much." Riley raised her eyebrows.

"So you're going to dress me and carry me everywhere?"

Gabriel grinned. "Yep. Arms up."

Riley rolled her eyes and slowly put her arms up. She held eye contact with him as he moved closer. Her legs dangled on the side of the table, and Gabriel carefully started pulling the torn shirt her head.

Their faces were extremely close, and Riley felt his breath on her lips. She closed the space between their lips, pressing her cool lips into his warm ones. She felt him respond immediately, stepping impossibly closer. Riley knew they shouldn't be doing this, but her painkillers blocked the pain, and every part of her bruised body wanted this. His lips forced hers open, and their tongues met. They breathed heavily, and his hands ran up and down her arms, leaving goosebumps in their wake. Her fingers tangled in his hair, holding their faces together.

The two were so wrapped up in each other that they almost didn't hear Nelson come in. Almost.

"Oh, YES! Finally!" Nelson shouted when he saw them.

Gabriel tore away from her, much to her disappointment. He grabbed the gray shirt and helped her pull it over her head.

"Nelson, why aren't you in bed?" Gabriel asked breathlessly.

"I heard a noise, but now I definitely know what it was!" Nelson said excitedly.

Dr. Cassidy and Dr. Wilkerson appeared behind Nelson. "What's going on? Who's hurt?" The two men were asking questions at random.

"Nothing, everyone's okay." Gabriel assured them.

Dr. Wilkerson stepped towards Riley. "How do you feel?"

Riley tried to calm down, but that was impossible with Gabriel anywhere near her right now. "Okay." She said, but she sounded out of breath.

Dr. Wilkerson pulled out his blood pressure pump and stethescope. "What were you thinking, exerting yourself like that?" He asked sternly.

Gabriel sighed and Riley blushed. Of course they knew, they weren't stupid.

"Well, your blood pressure and heart rate are fine, but I guess we have Gabriel to thank for that." He took the cuff off her arm.

Gabriel put his hands up defensively. "Sorry Dr. Wilkerson."

"No more of this nonsense until you're both healed. You'll pull stitches. Bed rest for you, young lady, and you shouldn't move too much either, Gabriel." Dr. Wilkerson scolded.

Riley tried to protest, but she knew it was no use.

"Yes sir." She mumbled.

"Gabriel, take her to your room, and no funny business." Gabriel helped her down from the table and half carried her to his room.

"What are we going to do with those two?" Dr. Cassidy shook his head and went back to bed.


	9. Chapter 9

**-GABRIEL'S POV-**

After Riley was asleep, Gabriel lay downstairs on the couch. His mind was racing. Did they really just do that? What was he thinking? She was practically drugged with all the painkillers in her system.

Gabriel fell into a restless sleep a few minutes later. He woke around dawn, and the house was silent. Instead of going back to sleep, he made coffee and watched the early morning news. The manhunt was ongoing, and the media was oblivious to what they went through.

It was around 7 when he was aroused from his half asleep state by Riley screaming his name.

"Gabriel! No!"

He leaped up from the couch and raced up to his room. She was still screaming his name, and he was surprised the whole house wasn't awake. When he swung the door open, she was sitting up, her knees pulled to her chest and her head was hidden behind them. The sheets were in knots and strewn everywhere, and he could see the sweat pouring off her as he got closer.

"Riley!" He shook her shoulder.

Her head jerked up, and she blinked a few times. "Gabriel?" She whimpered.

Gabriel opened his arms, and she fell into them. Riley started crying again, deep, heart shattering sobs.

"Shh, Riley, it's okay." He whispered and kissed her hair.

He rocked her gently while he whispered soothing things in her ear and kissed her hair. Slowly but surely the sobs tapered off into whimpers, then silence.

The sun was rising and filling the room with golden light. The bedside clock read 8:30 am, and Gabriel held her until she woke up.

**-RILEY'S POV- **

She woke up wrapped in Gabriel's arms and her head against his chest. She lifted her head, and realized he was awake.

"Mornin' Sunshine." He smiled softly down at her. The nightmare. They had been on a mission, and suddenly the man who had been torturing her came out from behind a building, grinned at her, then shot Gabriel.

She tucked her head back into his chest and felt him tighten his arms around her.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked softly.

Riley shook he head against his chest. All she wanted right now was to know he was alive.

Riley didn't know how long they sat there, but noises from downstairs let her know the rest of the house was awake. She started to slowly climb out of his arms, ignoring the pain shooting through her body.

"You know you aren't supposed to get out of bed."

"Well, we need to leave soon so we aren't found."

"We can wait a few days." He said firmly.

"We need to at least look for a new place to hide."

Gabriel let her go and rolled into the messy bed. "Riley, lighten up! We're both injured, and here we can get the right treatment."

Riley sighed. Every moment they spent here put the Cassidy's and Dr. Wilkerson in danger.

"Gabriel, we-" she was interrupted by his bored sigh.

"Riley, if you don't relax and get into the bed, then I'll..."

"You'll what?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Don't test me, Riley Neal." He smirked.

"Hey, you threatened _me." _she said defensively.

"come on, Riley." He patted the bed next to him. "It's warm."

She sighed again, then slowly lay down next to him on top of the blankets. She was definitely starting to feel the full force of her injuries.

The room got quiet, leaving each of them to their thoughts.

"How much of it do you remember?" He asked softly.

Riley took a deep breath. "What do you mean? Of the torture? Or our escape?"

"All of it."

Riley took another deep breath. Was she ready to talk about this? No. Would she ever be ready to talk about this? No. Better now than later.

"I remember the torture, the things he said." Tears burned at the back of her eyes, but she refused to let them come forward. "Everything he said was true." She whispered the last part.

"No." He said roughly, angrily.

Riley remembered every word. '"You should have died that night you killed your mother's boyfriend.' 'Your mother hates you.' 'You'll never be able to keep Gabriel safe. If you could, you wouldn't be here.' 'Failure. That's why the president sent you to Cyber command. He didn't you protecting him.'" She whispered.

Against her will, tears started streaming down her face again. "Oh, Riley. None of that's true. You're the best protector-partner anyone could ever have." Gabriel pulled her into his arms again.

She squeezed her eyes shut, and the tears were coming down at full force. He rolled onto his side so she was against his chest. At this point, the entire front part of his shirt was tear stained.

Her body was at an awkward angle, which hurt her ribs. She shifted closer so their bodies were aligned and touching shins and chests.

Riley cried for a long time, until her eyes wouldn't produce any more tears. Gabriel held her through all of it, humming some song. She finally pulled away when someone knocked on the door.

"Riley? Gabriel? It's Dr. Wilkerson. I need to change your bandages."

"Come in." She called shakily, and quickly wiped away the tear streaks on her face.

Dr. Wilkerson came in with a doctor's bag and sat down on the bed. Riley held out her wrists and he slowly started to unwrap the tape and gauze. There were only a few stitches, the rest of the cuts only needed a bandage.

"I think the stitches can come out before I leave." He said and rewrapped her wrists.

"Gabriel, Dr. Cassidy needs you in the workshop." Dr. Wilkerson said as he left the room.

Riley started to follow, but Dr. Wilkerson stopped her. "You need to get some rest. Stay here, Gabriel will wake you if they need you."

Riley glowered at him as he walked out the door. She knew they were searching for whoever took them. Maybe it was the same people who framed Gabriel. Whoever it was, they were going to pay.


	10. Chapter 10

**-GABRIEL'S**** POV-**

Gabriel knew Riley was mad at him for not letting her join the search. But Dr. Wilkerson was right: she needed to rest herself so she can heal.

In the workshop, Nelson and Dr. Cassidy had every monitor set on different traces and scans. Gabriel jumped in the mess with the chip, and information flooded his brain. Faces and names popped up, some Gabriel recognized from various missions and wanted lists, and some were new. Most disappeared as soon as they popped up, and some stayed for several moments. He was sifting through information when Nelson spoke up.

"So with your description, we were able to run a search of buildings that have similar floor plans."

"Anything yet?" Gabriel asked, but he didn't really need to ask.

"No." Nelson said disappointedly. "There are too many buildings with a basement and multiple stories."

"Try hotels. The place had a bunch of rooms and an elevator." Gabriel suggested.

"Did you have any idea where you guys were?" Dr. Cassidy asked.

Gabriel thought for a moment. There were plenty of road signs, but he was so focused on getting out he didn't see any clearly.

"Hold on, I'm going to render." Gabriel said, and plunged into the day before.

Slowly but surely the escaped pieced itself together inside his head. Soon he had a mostly complete picture of the highway and surrounding areas. Traffic wasn't heavy, and construction on the side of the road slowed things down just a little. Gabriel walked in between cars and around traffic cones and machines, searching for anything to tell him where he was. As he neared the construction workers, he saw the logo on their helmets. _Easton Construction Co. _

Finding what he needed, Gabriel pulled himself back into the real world. "Easton, Virginia. Small town about an hour from here."

Nelson started typing furiously. Dr. Cassidy was talking quietly with Dr. Wilkerson, no doubt about Clockwork and how it was progressing. Dr. Wilkerson glanced at Gabriel.

"I do need to be going. I've committed enough illegal acts to spend the rest of my life in jail." He laughed, but it sounded like nervous laughter.

Gabriel went over and shook Dr. Wilkerson's hand. "I don't know how we can ever thank you enough."

"Stay safe. That should be thanks enough." Dr. Wilkerson said, then left.

Gabriel heard the doctor walk up the stairs, probably to take out Riley's stitches and say goodbye. He turned back to Nelson, who was whispering "yes!" every few seconds.

Gabriel hacked into the computer, and found out what Nelson was so excited about. He had found where they were being held, in an old hotel in Easton, Virginia. The section of town was notorious for gangs, drugs, and human trafficking.

"I'll get Riley. Call Lillian, tell her we've got a lead on the kidnappers. Get a TAC Team."

"And tell them what? Lillian isn't in control anymore." Dr. Cassidy reminded him.

"Human Trafficking. The selling of top secret information. Make something up." Gabriel left the room quickly.

He raced up to the his room and opened the door. A quick glance of the room told him it was empty. "Riley?" he called worriedly.

"In here, Gabriel." Her voice came from the bathroom.

As he neared the bathroom, he could hear the shower running. Gabriel sighed.

"We've got a location." Gabriel said through the door.

"Great. I'll be out in a minute." Riley replied. "Unless you want to carry me out of here."

Gabriel froze. Was she serious? Maybe Dr. Wilkerson gave her more medicine before he left. Of course, he thought taking her up on that offer. His mind started to play out traitorous thoughts, and he had to shake his head to get them out.

"Just hurry up." He said nervously, and went back to the room, Riley's laughter following him down the hallway.

Back in his room, he checked what little firepower the Cassidys' had. Two rifles, and a .9 mm that he kept here. The rifles were useless, slow and clunky. The .9 was fully loaded, but there was only one. Besides the lack of firepower, Gabriel had no idea how he would join this mission. They were wanted criminals, and Gabriel didn't even know how Nelson and Doc managed to get out of work today.

He heard the door open, and he turned around to find a towel clad Riley Neal. The white fabric barely covered her body, leaving very little to the imagination. Her wavy brown hair clung to her shoulders, and he couldn't help but give her a once over. Gabriel noticed that she was blushing fiercely.

"Where are my clothes?" he could hear the nervousness in her voice.

"I think they're in the dryer." Gabriel smirked.

"Great." Riley groaned. "Can you get them?"

"You want me to get your clothes out of the dryer." Gabriel repeated, stunned.

"I don't exactly want to parade around the house in a towel."

Gabriel thought for a moment. He would be handling her clothes, _all _of her clothes. Underwear included.

"Sure." he walked out of the room, walking so close to her that he could smell the soap she used.

Gabriel quickly made his way to the laundry room, but the dryer still had ten minutes on it. He hoped the clothes were dry enough, and unlocked the dryer door and searched out her clothes. It wasn't hard to locate to locate which outfit was hers: she was the only female in the house.

Gabriel hurried back up to where Riley was waiting, combing her hair with her fingers.

"Sorry if they're a little damp, the dryer still had 10 minutes left."

Riley gave him an odd look, but he ignored it.

"I'll be downstairs."

**Sorry for the ending, I just wanted to update before I left for my trip. I'll be updating oneshots only during the weekends, but no promises either way. **


	11. Chapter 11

**-RILEY'S POV-**

It took Riley several minutes to calm down after the incident with Gabriel. She tried to act like it didn't bother her, but in reality, the way Gabriel had looked at her sent shivers down her spine.

Riley slowly got dressed, careful of her ribs and head. All she had left of her poor shirt was the white tank top she had worn underneath. It was only slightly torn at the bottom, but there were faint bloodstains around the neckline and straps. Thankfully her pants were fully intact, as were her undergarments.

As she made her way downstairs, she became fully aware of how sore her muscles were. Her shoulders ached when she moved her arms up too much. Her legs hurt with every step.

When Riley entered the workshop, the room fell silent. All eyes landed on her. She was uncomfortable with the stares, but shrugged it off and went to stand next to Gabriel.

"So where are we going?" she asked to no one in particular.

"_We're _not going anywhere." Gabriel growled angrily. "We've been ordered to stay put for the time being."

"Under who's orders?" Riley asked incredulously.

"Mine." Lillian said as she appeared on a plasma screen.

"Why? We can join the TAC team undercover." Riley trailed off because Lillian was giving her a death glare.

"You and Agent Vaughn are under strict orders to stay with the Cassidys' until this operation is over. Then you will move to a new safehouse. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes ma'am." she said in a defeated voice.

"Good. Dr. Cassidy, do we have an update on whoever framed Gabriel?"

"The only lead we have right now are the people who kidnapped them." Dr. Cassidy replied.

Suddenly Nelson interrupted with a shout. "We've got a picture!"

Riley was confused, but quickly understood as Lillian's image shrank and a fuzzy image the slowly cleared to reveal a hotel style building appeared. Sunlight lit the room as various windows. The could hear the commander barking orders and see men fanning out next to the camera man. This was the footage of the TAC team raiding the building they were held in.

The team came to some guards, but they were easily subdued. The men didn't even fight back. The door behind the guards was locked, and the camera man kicked it down easily. The two men next to the camera rushed in, guns blazing. Inside was a single man, sittin small round table drinking what looked like Scotch.

"Stand up slowly, with your hands up!" the camera man yelled.

The man complied, silently raising from the chair.

Riley looked away for a moment, and noticed she had slowly moved closer to Gabriel without realizing it. Her shoulder was touching his bicep, so she shifted her weight so wasn't touching him.

Looking back at the screen, the camera man had finished the room and moved the man to the hallway. The team moved on, meticulously clearing every room and pulling out prisoners. She recognized some of them vaguely; spies, undercover agents that had gone missing and had been on the news.

Riley noticed that most off the guards that had been cruel and tough while she was there, had gone without a word.

"Something's wrong." she whispered to Gabriel.

He nodded slightly. "It's too easy. They didn't have to shoot or fight anyone. Those guards were the kind that won't go down without a fight."

Riley watched the screen again, and her body tensed with apprehension. The team had made it to the basement.

She watched as they pulled victims one by one out of their own Hell. Some were still able to walk and in relatively good condition, while others were half conscious and barely alive and had to be carried out. Then the team came to a room with a very familiar face. Her torturer.

Riley didn't want to watch anymore. She forced herself to stay put, but she stared at her feet instead of the screen. Gabriel had noticed, because he put his arm around her shoulders and gave them a small squeeze. Riley took a deep breath.

She looked up to see the screen again, and the team had moved upstairs to join the others. She felt Gabriel stiffen, his arm tightening around her shoulders. She pressed against his side softly. It was his turn to be haunted by memories.

The team pulled out a man in an expensive suit and Italian shoes, along with two bodyguards. Riley looked up a Gabriel, but his face was expressionless.

Riley looked back, and the team was exiting the building. It was over.

Nelson closed out the camera window, and Lillian's picture enlarged to fill the screen again.

"Are you two okay?" Lillian asked, eyeing the pair. Gabriel was still holding her against him.

Gabriel dropped his arm and Riley moved away. "Yeah. Fine." Riley forced the words.

"We'll get to the bottom of this. I'm sending you an address of a secure location. This way we'll know where you're at." Lillian gave them a disapproving look.

"We didn't have a choice, Lillian." Gabriel reminded her.

"At least the house we used was owned by Cyber com." Riley put in.

Lillian sighed. "Just go to the safehouse until we finish interrogating these guys."

"How are we going to explain why Cybercom is interrogating these people? What did you tell them?" Riley asked.

"The truth. Mostly. That they had information on you two." Lillian eexplained.

"When do we leave?" Gabriel asked.

"ASAP. And use the cards for some new clothes." she said, then ended the call.


End file.
